Newspaper-easel.



J. MCCARTHY.

NEWSPAPER EASEL.

APPLICATION FYILED AUG-'8. 1914.

1,167,090, Patented Jan 1, 1916.

A TTORNEYS inarr JOSEPH McCAR'II-IY, or sromnn, WASHINGTON.

ivnwsrarnanasnn Specification of Letters Batent.

Application filed August 8, 1914. Serial N 0. 855,857.

Easels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in newspaper easels, and has for one of its principal objects, the production of a dedevice of convenientsize and shape adapted to hold a newspaper or otherreading matter while the reader is dining or is otherwise so situated that his hands are not free to hold the paper.

A further object is the production of an advertising device, the intent being that advertising matter be printed or otherwise displayed upon the various parts of the easel itself. 2

Another object of the invention is to provide an easel including a plurality of foldable parts, means being provided for limiting the outward movement of the parts whereby to maintain the easel in the desired position. z

Still another object of the invention is to provide an easel of the class described which will be extremely simple, durable, efficient in operation and inexpensive to manufacture. 7

With these and other ob ects in view which will become apparent as the descripeasel. Fig. 5 represents a fragmentary planview of one of the cross bars showing an opemng 1D. the same. .Fig. 6'represents a perspective view of the connecting stud.

Fig. 7 represents a View similar to Fig. 5

of a modified form. Fig. 8 represents a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken walls 15. V-shape, and come to an apex as at-16 midway of the length of the opening, the apeXes on the plane indicatedby the line 8-8 of Fig. 7. Fig. 9 represents a plan view of the upper end of the support. Fig. 10" is a rear elevation of the cross bars 5 and 6 showing another arrangement of the openings13. Fig. 11 is a, similar view showing the bars spread apart. I

Referring-more particularly to the drawing, the easel comprises a pair of cross bars 5 and 6 respectively, anda support 7. A stud 8 is providedv by means of which the parts are connected, and in such-a manner that the cross bars and support may be folded together, or may be opened into the position shown in Fig.

The lower end of cross bar 5 is bent upwardly as at 9 and has its longitudinal edges rolledinwardly one over the other,.to provide an arm 10 disposed in spaced relation to the bar. The lower end of cross bar 6 is bent upwardly as indicated at 11, andthese The stud 8 includes a shank 12, which is substantially rectangular in cross section- At the point where the shank 12 extends through cross bars 5 and 6, the latter are provided with openings 13. 'These openings have straight parallel endwalls 14, and side The side walls are substantially i Patented atria,

being disposed a distance apart as at 17 in Fig. 5 substantially equal to the thickness of shank 12. Thelength of the openings is substantially equal to the width of the.

shank. The shank extends through these openings as clearly indicated, and the arrangernent: is such that the bars may; "be swung in opposite directions with the shank as a pivot, until the opposite end portions of the sides of the openingsengage with the shank, whereby to limit the outward or opening movement of the cross bars.

At a Point immediately to'the rear of the portion of the shank extending through the cross bars said shank is provided with. a transverse opening 18. Rotatably' positioned in this opening is a pintlepin 19, and

around the pin the upper end of the brace 7 is turned. Said upper end is bifurcated so as to provide a recess 20 as indicated in Fig. 9, and also to allow of the ends of the arms formed by the bifurcations being engaged around the pin 19. By this manner of attachment it will be understood that the support may be swung with the pin. as a center toward or away from the cross bars.

As shown in Figs. 10 and 11 I may arrange the openings in the cross arms 5 and 6 differently, that is, the side walls 15 are differently disposed with relation to the edges of the bars while the shape of the openings is substantially the same as that shown in Fig. 5; the side walls 15 and 15 are parallel with the longitudinal edges 5 of the bar 5, while the side walls 15 and 15 are disposed at an acute angle to the said longitudinal edges; and this is true of the bar 6, though the openings in the two bars project in opposite directions.

By arranging the openings as shown in Figs. 10 and 11 the easel can perform all the functions set forth for the other figures of the drawing except that the cross bars will open only in one direction; but it has an advantage that when the bars are closed the support 7 cannot be moved in opposite directions, in other words when the arrangement of openings shown in Figs. 10 and 11 is used the cross bars are closed, the support 7 assumes a position parallel to the cross bars and will not dangle about.

The lower edge of shank 12 immediately below opening 18 is provided with a notch 21 connected by a forwardly extending curved portion 22 with the under edge of the shank. The curved portion allows for swinging movement of the brace, and the notch pro ides the rear end of the shank with a stop 23 which is adapted as indicated in Fig. 4: to limit the rearwardly swinging movement of the brace. This connection between the cross bars and the brace, while allowing the folding and opening of the parts mentioned, provides a means of limiting their outward movement, whereby to maintain the easel in the desired position, for-receiving and holding a newspaper. It also allows of the shifting of bars 5 and 6 to a position opposite to that in which they are shown in Fig. 1, so that arm 10 may be carried by the left hand bar and the upturned portion 11 by the right hand bar. This position of the engaging portions 10 and 11 might be preferable to that shown in the figure.

The easel may be formed of burnished sheet metal, tin, celluloid, ivory, wood or other suitable material. The parts may also be made of soft material and should it be desired to do so the openings in the cross bars, will be provided with metallic or other hard eyelets indicated at 24 in Figs. '7 and 8. These eyelets will be of configuration to conform to the shape of the openings, and will prevent the tearing out or enlarging of the openings while opening the easel.

Although I have described the preferred embodiment of my invention, 1 may desire to make such changes in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts thereof as do not depart from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

The cross bars and support are preferably formed of substantially fiat strips of material. Advertising matter, if so desired, may be printed or otherwise displayed upon these parts.

I claim: I y

1. An easel comprising. a pair of cross bars adapted to receive reading matter, said cross bars each provided with a central lon gitudinally extending opening, a stud adapted to be projected through the openings for connecting the cross bars, said stud being substantially rectangular in cross section, the openings each having parallel end walls spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the width of the stud, and having side walls substantially V-shape, the apexes of the side walls occurring midway of their length and being disposed opposite to each other and a distance apart substantially equal to the thickness of said stud, a support, a pin journaled in the stud at the rear of said cross bars, said support having its upper end bifurcated and engaged upon said pin on opposite sides of the stud, said stud provided on its lower edge with a notch adapted to form a stop, said stop adapted to be engaged by the portion of the brace between the furcations, for limiting the opening movement of the brace.

2. An easel comprising supporting members and a support, and means for joining them and permitting their opening in one direction only, said means consisting of an opening in each of the bars having end and V-shaped side walls one leg of each V- shaped side wall lying parallel with the adjacent longitudinal edge of its bar.

JOSEPH MCCARTHY.

Witnesses H. J. LEFEVRE, L. L. lVEsTFALL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0. 

